Why flag?

6 Answers

I wouldn't ever use "viejo" in polite company or to someone's face. Anciano is definitely more polite, but in Latin America (Guatemala and Ecuador), I've heard mayor used much more frequently. It seems that anciano is only used to refer to the oldest people (70 or 75+?) whereas mayor can be used with anyone older than 55 or so (depending on context.)

I am just beginning with spanish, but it seems to me that "mayor" is more like "older than" so like mi hermano mayor, (my older brother) and "viejo/a" more like "older" as in senior.
I hope that helps.

I'm guessing based on what I've read and that information that "hombre mayor" is close to older man or identifying them as a senior. I'm not positive but it sounds like calling someone an "hombre viejo" might be the same as calling someone an old man (Which would be rude in English a lot of the time but I'm not 100% about Spanish). Might just be the context that makes the difference.

Popular Conjugations

SpanishDict is devoted to improving our site based on user feedback and introducing new and innovative features that will continue to help people learn and love the Spanish language. Have a suggestion, idea, or comment? Send us your feedback.

Your nameEmail addressSubjectMessage

Share Your Opinion, Win $100

You've been invited to complete a short survey to help improve SpanishDict. Five people who take the survey will be randomly selected to win $100 Amazon gift cards.